Candidates make last-minute push for votes in Calgary Centre byelection

CALGARY — Calgary Centre constituents go to the polls Monday to choose a new MP in a highly anticipated byelection.

On Sunday, candidates spent the final day of the race on a blitz of door-knocking and appearances at Grey Cup events, while their campaign teams went full out to remind supporters to cast ballots.

The federal contest has turned out to be more talked about than anyone would have predicted when the Calgary Centre byelection was called — along with two others in Victoria and Durham, Ont. — 36 days ago.

Mount Royal University political analyst David Taras said the result Monday might well be another win for the governing Conservatives. But he said it’s the first time since the byelection in 2000 — when Progressive Conservative Joe Clark beat Alliance MP Eric Lowther — where there’s some uncertainty about the outcome in Calgary Centre.

“We don’t know, and no one’s predicting,” Taras said.

The campaign has been marked by concerns from all camps about vote splitting.

Calgary conservatives are divided among those supporting Tory candidate Joan Crockatt and those who believe her implied support for the Wildrose party as a political commentator in April’s provincial election places her too far to the right for the riding.

“Progressive” voters are also splintered. Although a federal Liberal hasn’t been elected in Calgary in decades, Grit candidate Harvey Locke has placed a close second to Crockatt in a number of recent polls.

But Green party candidate Chris Turner has come in third in the surveys and has a strong following among young, social media-savvy inner city residents who could upset voting predictions.

Added into the mix is NDP candidate Dan Meades.

“If Crockatt wins because of vote splits, does this become the case study?” Taras said. “Can the Liberals and the NDP ever win a national election if this vote-splitting continues?”

Also a factor in the race is whether Locke’s campaign will suffer as a result of two-year-old comments from federal Liberal leadership candidate Justin Trudeau that suggested Albertans weren’t good at governing.

The remarks surfaced last week and Trudeau has since apologized, saying they were directed at the Harper government — not Albertans as a whole.

But Taras said those comments could “drive up and unify” Conservative support for Crockatt.

University of Calgary political scientist Tom Flanagan said Calgary Centre is another demonstration of the model the federal Conservatives have used to win a number of byelections in recent years.

Flanagan, a former senior adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Wildrose campaign manager in April’s election, said the strategy involves keeping “the candidate out of the media,” and an emphasis on door-knocking and get-out-the-vote efforts.

“But every strategy can be countered,” Flanagan added, pointing to the Locke and Turner campaigns. “You try to create a lot of buzz in the media, a lot of excitement around the candidate, a sense of novelty. You appeal not to a well-defined base of voters, but you try to bring in new segments.”

The four leading candidates all participated in a final debate at the Killarney Glengarry Community Association hall on Saturday.

Crockatt, a former Herald editor, said the Harper government is the best promoter and protector of Alberta’s oil and gas industry. She also said it would be a benefit to Calgary Centre residents to have an MP in the government benches.

“If you’re in Mexico and you lose your passport, do you want to call an opposition member of Parliament? Or do you want to call someone who can walk across to the minister’s office?” Crockatt said.

Locke, a lawyer and conservationist, acknowledged Calgary is a conservative place. But he said there’s more political diversity in Calgary Centre and he believes voters there don’t want “the (Calgary West MP) Rob Anders-style of conservatism.”

Turner, a sustainable energy author, emphasized his international experience, and said if he wins a seat in the House of Commons, he will help lead a “grown up” conversation about environmental issues and the future of Canada’s energy sector.

And for the official Opposition NDP, Meades said if elected he will join a team of MPs that asks hard-hitting questions of the Harper government.

“The NDP gets 130 questions a week in question period. And in some of those, we can ask ‘What are they hiding?’ We can ask about oilsands development. We can ask about electoral reform,” said the anti-poverty activist.

Independent candidate Antoni Grochowski and the Libertarian party’s Tony Prashad are the two other candidates in the byelection race.

• You can get details about your voting location and other byelection information at www.elections.ca or by calling 1 800 463 6868.

• Calgary Centre returning officer Kevin Allen emphasizes you don’t need to be on the voters list or have voter’s card to cast a ballot today — you can get registered on site. But you must show you’re an eligible voter by proving your identity and address.

To vote in a federal byelection, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen.

• be at least 18-years-old on byelection day.

• be a resident of Calgary Centre from Oct. 24 to Nov. 26.

• prove your identity and address in one of three ways: showing one original piece of government-issued ID with your photo, name and address (such as a driver’s licence), or by showing two original, authorized pieces of ID — both must have your name and one must also have your address; or by taking an oath and having an elector who knows you vouch for you.

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Candidates make last-minute push for votes in Calgary Centre byelection

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